I have owned horses for 40 years, and Chris had been trimming my horses' feet for about 10 years. Under his care, my horses have not had any lameness issues (except for a couple of rounds of founder in one horse, but that was my own fault for keeping him on grass too long in the spring, and Chris helped a lot in his recovery). In any case, Chris does a careful, symmetrical; and hygienic trimming of the hoof, frog and sole which has kept my horses sound and true. One might wonder if the health of my horses' feet is due to nature or nurture? Well, when Chris was laid-up (from a non-horse-related injury) for a number of months, and I used a couple of different farriers in the interim, two of my horses suffered very bad abscesses that took months and thousands of dollars to resolve. This example is clearly anecdotal, and I will never know is these abscesses were coincidental, but I do know that my horses feet look and perform better when they are under Chris' care. I really appreciate the fact that he seems to sincerely care about the science of hoof health, and continues to do stay educated about it. An added bonus is that Chris is punctual, tidy, and quick to respond to messages. And on a trivial note, he keeps his shirt-tails tucked in, so no plumber's crack =) read more

Chris started shoeing a few years ago on my fox trotters. Both horse had shoeing issues, one had both front feet concave. He took on the challenge and over time repaired the damage the previous farrier had done to both horses. Now we are fine tuning how the horses move and he's awesome. Both horses feet are now solid and shoes are well balanced allowing both horses to gait properly. read more

It is a rare and desperate time when I decide to try something drastic with a complete stranger in a business where so much can go wrong. And it's an even more rare occasion when that risk pays off in gold. I have a large warmblood who had suffered chronic heel problems resulting in off-and-on lameness for three years. After burning through a couple of shoers who couldn't keep him sound, I found a guy who could keep him comfortable for about 4 weeks at a time without the gimmicks of wedge pads, bar shoes and other devices I had learned through experience and lots of research not only don't work long term, but can cause other serious damage. Then one day, he just vanished. No one shoeing at our barn impressed me, and I was near panic that I would never find anyone who could keep my horse even marginally sound. I had read farrierart.com about a year earlier when I was doing some research and decided to give Chris a call. I'd been impressed with much I'd found on his website and was hopeful it translated to reality. Chris is the best gamble I've ever taken for my horse. When I cold-called him to discuss my situation, he listened - a rare trait that can be very underrated - and impressed me with his depth of knowledge, enthusiasm for his trade and his scientific/educational approach. I was nervous to change anything about my horse's shoes despite the short intervals between lameness issues, so the first few times Chris shoed my horse, he obliged me - another extremely rare trait - while gently discussing a different technique he thought would work better. It wasn't long before Chris had gained my confidence and trust, so I gave him the go-ahead. That was four years ago, and my horse now easily goes 8 weeks between shoeings and hasn't taken a lame step for years. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone who is dealing with chronic hoof issues. My horse is now almost 21 and is able to work comfortably every day, which has slowed the onset of many aging-related issues that are further aggravated by down time. I recommended Chris to a couple of friend's whose horses had been suffering from long bouts of heavy-duty thrush, and they were extremely pleased with his results. read more

Aside from doing a great job on shoeing, Chris actually calls people back, shows up on time, and doesn't force his ideas on you. If you know anything about shoers just one of those things would be a rarity, but all three in one guy? Unheard-of. On top of that he's patient and gentle with horses - a great shoer for a worried horse or owner! read more

Wonderful problem solving skills for an older horse with problem feet. He crafted a special shoe for one foot that could not have nails on one side. A very patient shoer. Also, good at returning phone calls and emails. read more

My 11 year old QH mare had lameness issues for a few years (small feet/high heels) and we tried everything: different farriers, vets, injections, barefoot trim, x-rays, etc. Nothing helped. A friend, who used Chris for curing her gelding's thrush, gave me his number and he was happy to discuss all my issues. Other farriers would listen for 10 minutes tops and didn't return phone calls or show up when expected. Chris asked to see x-rays and videos and gave me his opinion before ever coming out. He thought he could help. The first visit he brought my mare's heels down a fair amount, put on pads with silicone putty, and when he left she was visibly happier. Her right front is clubby and no one ever mentioned it before. Now it's been about a year and he is out every 8 weeks - her feet are fantastic. She goes on trails with hills and is a happy girl again. I get comments from people used to seeing her walking on eggshells, everyone notices the difference. The funny dish in her front hooves is even growing out! It's been a year now and I'm so very happy with my mare's progress. Thanks, Chris! read more

My story is echoed in every other review here. Particularly the problem finding a farrier that would show up on time, not grumpy, and knows what he is doing. Chris is a rare find. His extensive knowledge and his willingness to share it with you without any "attitude" is quite remarkable. He has an incredible fix for problem thrush. Like one of the other reviewers, I too thought, oh, I will just treat it myself. After a couple of months of no improvement, I finally had an epiphany. Why I am I coming here once a day, wasting my time to treat the thrush and having no luck. Wasting my gas as well! When for less than what I was spending to come here, Chris could use his special technique and get rid of it with NO effort on my part. Sounded good. I tried it and he explained everything through the entire process. It was really amazing. It took one "special" shoeing with his process and the thrush was cleared up. My mare started going downhill without expressing discomfort, because her heel bulbs were no longer sore. Kind of like having sand between your toes. I could go on and on, but then you would be bored. Just suffice it to say, he is the best, call him today. read more

Any farrier who has to have the ridiculous, stainless steel accoutrements held by this one is definitely grounds to question ability. He charges insane rates for his work, which is not that good. He shod my horse on unlevel ground, took one shoe off and put it back on, and then went to the next, not a good farrier in my opinion. read more

Four years ago I was coming off of an injury of my own that forced me to sit and watch my 15-yr-old gelding being exercised by a trainer for several months. My untrained eye became more observant, as I watched him become progressively unsound. At the point i was ready to come back to ride, his "serviceable soundness" (according to the trainer) deteriorated into unsoundness. LF heel block rendered him sound. My vet (husband) advised me to incorporate a different farrier into the mix - I decided to take a chance on Chris Minick. I'm a scientist - I liked his methodological approach. I've used Chris for the last four years, and my "serviceably sound" hunter, who still competes more than admirably, has added dressage to his repertoire, scoring an impressive 78% in First Level, and 72% in Second Level Dressage this fall (age 19). He dances - has very "happy feet". It took awhile, but his front feet are now very similar in size and shape. Chris was a very good chance to take! read more